This is not a huge deal, as I have been without a car before. It makes navigating a city as vast as Los Angeles and it's surrounding suburbs a lot more difficult that it has to be, but in most cases, it is workable. There are some things, however, that I am not going to be able to do under ANY circumstances. Like those hikes I planned for my daughter and I. Most of them were pretty far out of the way for us, and thus completely unreachable without a car, so those are not going to happen until another car is purchased.

What I can do in the meantime is look for the beauty in the world I can walk around in. I still like to take walks on my lunch breaks, and with the new green spaces in Downtown Los Angeles, as well as the beautiful public art and architecture, there is always something pretty, or at least interesting, to look at. The urban landscape isn't all concrete and hard edges of office buildings. If you know where to look, you can break up your day with the occasional glimpse of the wonders of the natural world, brought to you amid the noise and business of a work environment.

The urban parks and gardens are great places to get outside and think for awhile. The garden at The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising is perfectly groomed and offers a look inside the minds of the students that attend there if you hang out on the lawn right around midday. Pershing Square has a wrap around path for lunchtime walkers, as well as a few pieces of colorful modern sculpture that fit in perfectly with the surrounding mix of older and newly renovated buildings. The newest addition, Grand Park, sits right in the middle of City and County offices, features an acre of green space, tables, benches and a beautiful fountain, allowing office workers and visitors a relaxing place to get away, if only for an hour.

My favorite walk Downtown is actually to the library. The fountains leading up to the entrance are three separate art pieces tied together by a single theme. The gardens to the right of the entrance hold two additional fountains, and a memorial to peace efforts in World War II. Stepping in to the cool, well lit library, there is a small gallery on the first floor, and The Getty Gallery on the second floor. But where do I go straight to, whenever I visit the library? I won't spoil the surprise if you haven't seen it, but the second floor rotunda, between the Children's library and the Getty gallery, have some of the most beautiful depictions of scenes from the history of the City of Los Angeles painted high on the walls and ceilings. Combined with a light fixture depicting the constellations, this is a camera-ready location if ever there was one. And if you decide to exit the library form the other side, you are greeted by a grand staircase:

Some days, going back to work is harder than others. After soaking in the energy and variety of what the outdoors has to offer, even the man made items, returning the beige and gray offices, artificial light and piped in air can feel the tiniest bit claustrophobic. Even the time spent appreciating the art works in galleries offer a mental respite from the everyday. I have responsibilities, of course, so back to work I go. But I can always go out for a walk again tomorrow.